Jnr FD has just started at a new school as we have relocated. Therefore he has no friends out of school.
His class only has 8 kids, the others are all girls.
Now I get that when older a boy in class full of girls would be a win both educationally and for him, however at the moment he doesn’t appear to be enjoying it.
There are older boys that he apparently plays with at break times
Does he just need to MTFU or is it an issue at his age?
Sounds like an idyllic rural school not unlike the one my son goes to.
He'll settle in.
One of things I found surprising was how well the different age groups mix at my son's school. When I was a lad you mainly played with the lads in your year group (I went to a school with 4x30 classes in a year).
It's the other way round at my son's school compared to MiniFD. Only 2 girls in his class. But 2 year groups in that class!
As I said above he'll settle in give it time.
It would have certainly been an issue for my lad, and he's not even spectacularly social. 8-year-old girls can be terribly cliquey even amongst their own gender.
Was that the only school choice available?
Can you compensate with more boy-heavy out of school activities - cubs/scouts, sports clubs etc?
He’ll settle in.
This. No other advice, kids are bloody resilient and will just crack on, don't fret.
Tricky one, even with boys in the school stuff can be difficult. My lad is 'nice' but some of the kids there are proper horrible little toe-rags. One got a red card yesterday for the F word and punching someone. We've had a couple thrown out and sent to another school. A couple of them are MASSIVE and use this to their advantage along with some bullying....
All of this is in a little rural village school with small classes etc.
It could be argued, he's onto a winner.... Tough to say.
Try to find some after school clubs to get more contact with other boys (football, cricket etc).
we have a small school (our youngest has just left). I think it's about 14 kids a year, with mixed year classes. Even if there is a decent ratio of boys to girls, the boys that are there may be completely different in temperament to your son. There's also the fact that girls are more likely to crack on and do some work, unlike a group of boys together.
As a result (as mentioned above!) the years interact an awful lot more. My son had (still has!) great friends two years above, and the year below.
And yes, find a rugby or football club to burn off energy
That's a sod.... and I guess you are going to come to a less than ideal solution.
he doesn’t appear to be enjoying it
That covers a huge range.... Being a bit "meh" is hugely different to really hating it.
I hated school.... From day 1 of what was then nursery and now reception I escaped and walked home. (Imagine that today) I remember hating all the enforced quiet time... when we were meant to lie on mats, code our eyes and relax... Through Jnr and secondary.... 11 years of detesting EVERY SCHOOL DAY with few exceptions. It wasn't until I transferred to a College of FE to do my A levels I stopped hating
I guess the reasons were all different... though the main one was just that I didn't want to be there.
Other than not wanting to be there Jnr's was probably the best until we moved and I ended up in a smaller rural school with all my friends from the previous school miles away. Secondary School I got sent miles away and again all my friends were miles away..(parents got divorced at this point). I wasn't interesting it making friends at the new school...
At the same time I had all my mates at home... I was only the obnoxious and violent kid at school.
*You'd think it's hardly rocket science .. forced to go to a school miles away, parents getting divorced etc.
Now I totally get that this was STUPID and IMMATURE... and I think I did even at the time, I just didn't care because the hatred for the school was just more important to me. If I'm honest it was THE school, not school... and to a large extent I think I was just trying to get expelled so I could go to the same school as my mates.
Based on that I'm REALLY REALLY HAPPY that my kid (just gone 9) actually mostly enjoys school.
I also make a effort that he does after school activities with his school friends
Now I' not suggesting your lad is going to be like I was.... what I'm trying to say is make a HUGE effort to make sure he doesn't start hating school because he's there for years yet and just hating school in itself can be a real driver. Mine is a bit bored academically (he doesn't really get any challenge - he does well .. he just doesn't lie classes) but socially he's very happy. First day back he was happy enough... excited to see a few friends he'd not seen or not seen much of over summer and a bit apathetic about the "school" bit but I'm fine with that.
Find a scout troop, he's just the right age to start cubs.
Find a scout troop, he’s just the right age to start cubs.
Seems mostly pointless to me. From the outside looking in i just don't get it. I'm not convinced they learn that much
Scouts are great for learning to interact with various ages, work together, become independent and to make life long friends. in my experience.
I think it also gave me a taste for being in a senior position, you could work your way through the ranks and the leadership gave you autonomy when appropriate, I think it was very worth while and would send my kids.